I have 3 Brothers and I like them. Brother's serger,is the easiest serger to run by far of all my serger's. What I really like about Brother is their manual's. The manual is so comprehensive,so much better manual than my Bernina's. Why don't you like Brother sewing machines? You can a lemon in any product.

I have 3 Brother sewing machines right now and I love them all.

One is the SE350, which has a 4" embroidery ability and can do regular sewing, too. It has some great features, is computerized and sews very well. Love the machine and use it almost daily. It's about 3 years old and still works like new.

I also have a Brother that has a larger throat - somewhere around 6 - 8 inches - that I love. I don't use if for quilting, although it is a sewing and quilting machine. It's in my bay of the garage where my HQ16 and pcquilter are. I use it when a quilt is quilting on the frame. It has quite a few computerized stitches; I love to use it. The larger throat is helpful even when piecing, as I have more room and a better view of the sewing.

The SE350 was about $350 new, and I confess that I have never used the embroidery hoop and probably never will. But you never know.

The other one, I can't remember the model number except that it begins with 'SQ' was less than $200, is computerized and has a detachable extended "table" that makes it easier to quilt with the machine.

My third machine is a low end mechanical that I keep in NJ for when I'm visiting family. It is a great machine for the money, minimum number of stitches and sews very straight. I'm happy with it.

The user manuals with these machines are terrific. In fact, I've never read better manuals for any product. They have much more than the minimum required to be in a manual, and have been quite helpful. I think that Brother customer service may be great - they ask you to call them first if you have a problem - but I've never had to call. And I've been using Brother machines for about 8 years.

One other thing to consider when purchasing a traveling machine: Sometimes we drop a machine (happened to my first Brother after 6 years of hard use) or, sadly, it is taken by someone else. Either way, it's less of a financial loss to you.

Why don't you ask some of your friends if they have a computerized Brother that you can test drive? That's the best way to know if a Brother will work for you.

Wow! I used my first Brother for 6 years (before it was dropped) and it worked fine - lots of abusive sewing as I knew nothing about caring for a machine and I let my 'grands' work on it. Sorry you had a bad experience.

the PC-420prw has all the features you're looking for, is basically the same as the NX-400 which retailed for $800... and can be had for $350ish factory serviced and it's a very solid machine.... It's my take to class machine and backup workhorse. I have a Janome, which I also love and a Brother Duetta 4500D. I'd never hesitate to buy another Brother.

Here's an ebay listing for a factory refurbished with extras for $349.00 and free shipping from a reputable seller.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brother-PC-4...item565be78f78

an NX400... earlier model of the same machine, used.... $200. If I were looking, I'd snatch this one...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brother-NX-4...item23383a259a

I love my brother machine, and it has served me well. That is my machine of choice.

Costco: Online only. Yeah, it might be worth the $50 membership for a year to get their return policy....

I have had brothers for over15 years and love them. My old ones are still going strong. I have friends that have just purchased one for under 300. And they love them. They work really great.

I purchased ALL of my Brother machines from www.allbrands.com. They have FREE shipping and my machines arrived in THREE days when I ordered them each at separate times.